Today, permanent rigid fire escapes are provided for emergency escape from the windows of a multiple story dwelling. While it is generally known that stowed flexible fire ladders, such as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 1,123,029 to Smith, could be provided in proximity to the windows of a building at less cost than rigid fire escapes, such stowed flexible fire escape ladders have not enjoyed any substantial use since the issuance of the aforementioned Smith patent in 1914. It is believed that the reason for this lack of use is that the exposed ladder housing on the outside of the building is obtrusive to the eye.
Furthermore, in the prior art, it has not been possible to have such stowed ladders automatically deployed, in the event of fire, where they could be used by firefighters as a means of access to a burning building.